Neil Barrett

Milan: Neil Barrett always brings to Milan Fashion Week a much-needed twist of English traditionalism and cosmopolitan edge. For S/S 12, the designer took the classic patterns from a gentleman’s wardrobe — houndstooth, chevron, Breton stripes and Prince of Wales plaid — and made them appear magnified, distorted or unravelled via digital prints. Using Ska and the 1970s band Demob as inspiration, Barrett took his core concept of the hybrid, marrying elements elements from both military uniforms and Savile Row suits, and produced a perplexing and charming juxtaposition that works for today’s contemporary man. —Michael Fisher